Downtown Phoenix will be introduced to a holier style of nightlife from successful nightlife entrepreneur Steve Rogers, who is feverishly working to transform Seventh Avenue’s former e-Lounge into a gothic and Baroque-style nightclub named Sanctum, set to open late this summer or early fall, according to Phoenix New Times. While Rogers’ long résumé includes stops at the venerable Studio 54 and revered Mister Chow’s, it wasn’t until the former lighting designer moved to the Phoenix that he made his mark, currently with a collection of venues that includes Dwntwn, the goth-hangout Palazzo and piano lounge Amsterdam.
The Melrose District location and takeover of e-Lounge, a former lesbian bar, plants Sanctum in the heart of Phoenix’s LGBT district, but that has long been a staple of Rogers’ offerings that he calls “Pansexual.” “If you look at what I do, it's never gay-themed. I'm a big believer in the pansexual. In catering to people who are beyond these categories,” he told a Phoenix interviewer back in 2005. “People who like to hang out with all kinds of people and love diversity.” And from what we’re told, he’s been pretty successful at attracting a fairly wide cross-section of society in the past.
From what we hear, Rogers has been busy collecting a multitude of antique furnishings, fixtures and artwork from around the globe to cement Sanctum’s church-like décor and hasn’t skimped on the sound system, which is rumored to be top-notch to cater to the house and trance music DJs and audience the club is expected to attract. Certainly not fearful of taking chances, Rogers is looking to bring more cutting-edge concepts to the desert and change Phoenix nightlife.